TVSquad

Saturday Night Live has lined up some pretty impressive talent to host the show this month. I'm sure the first host, Scarlett Johansson, will boost the ratings. Her appearance, on January 14th, coincides with the release of the first of two Woody Allen movies that she stars in. She seems like a gutsy gal, so hopefully the SNL writers can come up with some bold sketches for her. The band Death Cab for Cutie is scheduled to perform the same night. And on January 21 is Peter Sarsgaard, who has had supporting roles in Jarhead, Flightplan, Kinsey, The Skeleton Key, and was terrific in Zach Braff's Garden State. I can't find a whole lot about Peter's background on the internet-- I was wondering whether he had any experience in improv or stand-up comedy, but I can't tell. And, I'm not sure what his appearance coincides with since IMDB lists his last flick as Jarhead, which doesn't come out on DVD until March. The musical guest pairing up with Sarsgaard is The Strokes. Wouldn't it be nice if these actors could get some good sketches on SNL?

The new year brings a new law to California that punishes overzealous paparazzi (is there any other kind?). Arnold Schwarzenegger proposed the law, after numerous reports this year that people like Reese Witherspoon, Scarlett Johanssen, Paris Hilton, and Lindsey Lohan were being run off the road by photographers. The governator himself was even run off the road by photographers. The new law prohibits photographers and videographers from assaulting anyone in an attempt to get a photo. That includes the subject of the photo and the general public, which is usually forcefully pushed aside when a celebrity is walking down the street. If convicted, paparazzi will have to pay triple damages and give up any money made off the photos. The law also allows publishers who buy and print the photos to also be liable. The Los Angeles Deputy District Attorney started off the new year by putting out a call to all celebrities to contact his office when they are assaulted by paparazzi.